50th Anniv of Assassination of MLK: We Say No More!

“I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed, without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. , (assassinated April 4, 1968)

STOP STATE AND POLICE VIOLENCESTOP ECONOMIC VIOLENCESTOP SEXUAL VIOLENCE, SCHOOL AND STREET VIOLENCESTOP ICE AND END THE RACIST GANG DATABASEREINVEST IN SCHOOLS AND SERVICESCOMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT FOR THE SOUTH SIDE#NOCOPACADEMY

Last week the city of Sacramento exploded after the police murder of yet another unarmed Black man, Stephon Clarke, a 23 year-old father of two. Clarke’s family felt the pain and rage that so many families have felt in the face of this kind of wanton state violence. And Louisiana has just deemed the gruesome shooting of a penned down and pleading Alton Sterling, justifiable, by not bringing charges against the police who killed him. Closer to home, we are still reeling from the murder of DeCynthia Clements by the Elgin Police on March 12, and April 4 will be the third anniversary of the murder of Justus Howell by Zion, IL. P.D. Just last week Chicago top cop, Eddie Johnson, refused to fire a police officer who shot Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones the day after Christmas in their home after LeGrier called for help. After five years of protest, investigations, exposes in the media, and special commissions – we have to ask America, do Black lives matter, yet?

We stand with the #METOO movement against sexual violence, launched by sister Tarana Burke. This extends to the ongoing struggle to combat violence against queer and trans folk an sex workers as well as others, and is felt most intensely by poor women and women of color. We stand with the young people who mobilized for the #Marchforourlives on March 24 to stand up to the racism and rigidly gun loving NRA and to the politicians they seemingly own. But on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, we are reminded of the movement’s unfinished agenda of militarism, racism and poverty.

Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ Center located on the South Side of Chicago, and designed to create and provide affirming and culturally competent services for the entire LGBTQ community of Chicago.